Nominations open for 2019 Ocean Racer of the Year Awards

With the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s spectacular Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race played out between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve last year, the Club’s annual Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Series (Audi Centre Sydney BWPS) witnessed another spectacular climax.

But the series known as the pinnacle of ocean racing in this country certainly doesn’t end there. The upcoming Ocean Racer of the Year Awards & Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Prizegiving on Friday 22 March at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Darling Point Clubhouse sets out to honour all those who participated in the sport throughout the 2018 calendar year.

The prizes for the Audi Centre Sydney BWPS overall and divisional winners as well as the perpetual trophies for the Flinders Islet, Newcastle Bass Island, Cabbage Tree Island and Bird Island races are awarded during the evening along with five prestigious awards for which recipients may be nominated by their peers. The awards accepting nominations are:

Ocean Racing Yachtsperson of the Year – awarded to the leader of an Australian ocean racing campaign who has excelled above all others.

Ocean Navigator of the Year – awarded in recognition of the integral role that navigators play in a successful ocean racing campaign.

Ocean Crew Person of the Year: Sally Gordon Memorial Trophy – awarded in recognition of a nonprofessional crew member that contributes significantly to an ocean racing campaign and can be a crew member who greatly assists in the preparation of the boat prior or post racing, or assists in completing race documentation.

Ocean Rookie of the Year– awarded to a competitor that, whilst potentially no stranger to crewing or participating in ocean racing, has for the first time campaigned their own boat in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s blue water sailing program.

Ocean Veteran of the Year – awarded to a stalwart of the sport, who, has either been campaigning for a number of years, or who has returned to offshore racing after a brief hiatus.

If you know someone who you believe has shown outstanding quality in these categories from 1 January through 31 December 2018, please click here to complete and submit your nomination form. Please note that nominations will close Friday 8 March 2019.

The evening is open to all boat owners and crew who participated in the 2018/19 Audi Centre Sydney BWPS as well as invited guests and is free to attend. To book your place at the prestigious Ocean Racer of the Year Awards & Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Series Prizegiving, please click here.